Another thread about “The Look” of a couple on the floor.

[WaltzElf]

This time, it’s about ethnicities.

I’ve found that, a lot of the time, dancers look better when they’re matched with someone of a different ethnicity to their own. It seems to create a nice contrast that, in turn, makes the couple more interesting than they might with someone of the same ethnicity.

(Of course, there are plenty of couples of there that look amazing with partners of the same ethnicity)

I briefly danced with a girl last year who was also caucasian. When we split, she went to dance with a guy with a similar build and height as me, but with a Lebanese background. They look far more glamorous together than I ever did with her.

Similarly, I’ve danced with a Persian girl, and my current partner is Japanese. I’ve had a lot more interest in the partnership, in terms of how it looks on the floor. Both times I get the “glamorous and attractive” complements from the audience that I just never got with Jess...

I must admit my eye tends to be drawn to other couples like this too – in the higher levels there’s a black man (and there’s not many who dance ballroom in Australia unfortunately) who dances with a white lady, and whether they win or not, I find myself watching them, because they’re just so attractive together.

 

[dancingirldancing]

I can understand that being different is sometimes confused with being interesting !

Do you think that different race has a subtle difference when they are dancing ?

Put them together and BANG you get a really different look ?

 

[fascination]

hmmm...this is not my experience...I find that striking differences of any sort regardless of ethnicity, can be intriguing or eye-catching but I also have found couples who were very similar in coloring to be equally striking...for instance I always found mazen and irina to be very striking on the floor...having said that....I don't find either striking differences or striking similarities to be very interesting if the dancing is mediocre

 

[Laura]

It can be eye-catching but like with anything else (like being tall) there needs to be some dancing behind it or else people will go 'meh' after the initial eye is caught.

My teacher who I do Pro/Am with is classic tall dark and handsome and I'm short and very pale. The comment I got was that I look too pale and need to tan more I think physically I looked best with my last Amateur Standard partner, who was broad shouldered and with a sturdy build (like myself). He was also blonde (well was when he was a kid, and resorted to adult-brunette-with-chunky-blonde-highlights as an adult).

So, like everything else, "it all depends." Haha ha ha!

For me, ethnicity is not on the list of qualifications. Heck, height and age are barely on the list -- my list consists of

(a) is okay with tackling Novice, since I really can't compete lower than that at this point
(b) would like to try dancing with me

Anyone interested should PM me

 

[Joe]

This time, it’s about ethnicities.

I’ve found that, a lot of the time, dancers look better when they’re matched with someone of a different ethnicity to their own. It seems to create a nice contrast that, in turn, makes the couple more interesting than they might with someone of the same ethnicity.

(Of course, there are plenty of couples of there that look amazing with partners of the same ethnicity)

I briefly danced with a girl last year who was also caucasian. When we split, she went to dance with a guy with a similar build and height as me, but with a Lebanese background. They look far more glamorous together than I ever did with her.

Similarly, I’ve danced with a Persian girl, and my current partner is Japanese. I’ve had a lot more interest in the partnership, in terms of how it looks on the floor. Both times I get the “glamorous and attractive” complements from the audience that I just never got with Jess...

I must admit my eye tends to be drawn to other couples like this too – in the higher levels there’s a black man (and there’s not many who dance ballroom in Australia unfortunately) who dances with a white lady, and whether they win or not, I find myself watching them, because they’re just so attractive together.

LOL, sounds to me just like you and your white ex-partner both needed a little color to liven things up.

 

[waltzguy]

bi-racial couples

Does bi-racial couples attract more attention to judges? Does this attention work to the couple's favor, or disservice? Or does it not matter? I'd like to hear everyone's opinion. I see a lot of bi-racial couples out there. Asian-White/White-Asian comes to mind, perhaps the most common.

P.S. Perhaps this can be asked by Larinda to a pro and/or judge.

 

[Benji]

The difference is definately an eye-catcher but if the dancing is mediocre the crowd seems to lose interest. It also depends on the background culture of the crowd themselves, I guess.... I don't know about abroad. Just telling you the experiences I had on this small island

 

[lamboman]

Personally bi-racial couples are more interesting for me. They may be able to get an extra 1 or 2 seconds of a judge's eye. But once they are noticed, they better have the skills to back it up because ultimately it is about the dancing.

Looks get you the interview but you can't win with just the look.

 

[Standarddancer]

Not sure if bi-racial more attractive in general. I’m Asian and DP white, we’ve received compliments that we are beautiful but no one mentioned about the bi-racial part. I think it’s not really bi-racial, but it’s the hair color gives the contract, couples with different hair colors could have added attractiveness, like one partner blonde, the other one black hair, like Luca/Lorraine, Marcus/Karen, Dominico/Giola, Roberta/Morena, etc. and also well-groomed hair, nice make-up, dresses all help to make couples look more attractive.

I agree with one of the previous post that couple must have the good dancing technique to back it up, otherwise great look doesn’t help.

 

[Yanou]

I don’t think the ethnicity difference makes the dancing attractive. As Benji said, it is eye-catching (I would say “easy to spot” on the floor), because of the contrast in the looks. If a judge catches the couple at a good moment, it will be great but if the judge sees you making mistakes/falling over, it will be disadvantage. So, I think the bi-racial aspect is no different from other factors, like platinum blonde hair, that make a couple eye-catching.

 

[TAK]

It also depends on the background culture of the crowd themselves, I guess.... I don't know about abroad. Just telling you the experiences I had on this small island

Yep, in my area (especially in the collegiate scene) biracial couples are almost the norm, and I'd be surprised if anyone even noticed.

However, if the racial composition is unusual, it can probably make a couple more memorable. My partner and I are a slightly more unusual biracial couple, especially at our level (there are many beginner couples in the area with a similar composition), and it probably helps judges remember us from round to round and comp to comp. Which, as others have noted, is only as good as our dancing is good -- but overall it probably helped us get through syllabus, where with so many couples on the floor it really helps to look familiar.

 

[SassySamba]

Remember Joanna and Emmanuel (American Rhythm), they looked amazing together. Esp. when they did the Black and White performance on Amer. Ballroom Challenge. Now she's with Jose who is Dominican---still eye-catching...